California Couple Convicted After In-Flight Wildlife Crime Confessions
The pair's casual conversation with undercover wildlife officers exposed illegal possession of endangered and protected species, leading to fines and probation.
- Byron Lee Fitzpatrick and Shannon Lee Price admitted to smuggling a green sea turtle skull and illegally hunting a mountain lion during a 2023 flight with undercover wildlife officers.
- Searches of their Chico home revealed additional illegal wildlife possessions, including mountain lion claws, a ringtail cat, and a mounted barn owl.
- A relative's Napa County home contained taxidermied mountain lions, a wolverine, and wolves, all protected species under California law.
- The couple and their relative, Harry Vern Fitzpatrick, pleaded guilty to multiple wildlife violations, resulting in fines ranging from $605 to $1,865 and probation terms.
- All seized animal parts were forfeited, and officials emphasized the broader dangers of wildlife trafficking funding transnational criminal organizations.